MUTUA MADRID OPEN

April 27, 2026

Stefanos Tsitsipas

From Recorded Audio

S. TSITSIPAS/D. Merida

6-4, 6-2

Q. (No microphone.)

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I feel like I needed to hang in there, try and get two or three points in a row. If I was able to do that, then maybe he would feel the pressure a little bit more.

I came close to that. I felt like my game was getting better and better the more the games were advancing. I was pressing more. I was going for my shots a little bit more. I got a better feel with the ball. It all connected pretty well.

Q. It's been a difficult period here. It was almost one year that you weren't able to win three matches in a row. Is this a boost of confidence for you in this kind of tournament? And you're going to face Casper, who is feeling pretty well.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I am sure. I'm sure he's feeling well. He's done well here. My goal with it is to be well prepared. My goal is to go have a good practice, get ready for this big match.

He's an aggressive player. He knows how to play on the surface.

I consider this surface also one of my favorites. So I would really want to see myself go out there and do well, push him to the limits. I'm sure he'll be very well prepared for this match. He's on a good run. He's feeling good. I'm feeling good too. I'm hoping to see a good, tough match. That's the goal with this match.

Q. How good are you feeling right now?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: It's tough to rate it. I've had periods in the past where I played Roland Garros, for me I always like to compare to Roland Garros, because that's a big tournament that everyone is kind of waiting for to see how they perform on that clay court tournament. That's the biggest clay tournament that we have in the world.

I've seen myself play there a couple of years back, and I was really pleased the way I was able to adjust to every single opponent that I played. Some of them have a different quality of ball, different way of responding to certain shots that I play.

I would say two years ago, even the year that I played the finals, I think the year I played Alcaraz in the quarters, I think, was it last, no, two years ago or last year? Two years ago. I keep forgetting the years. The yellow/black outfit that I played. That year I played really good. I was actually really happy the way I played that year. I feel like my tennis connected well. Despite losing in quarters, I still felt like my tennis was there.

The year I made the finals I think it was, physically, if I have to compare to the year that I made quarters against Carlos and the year I made finals, I was a monster physically that year that I made the finals. I remember feeling really fit, really strong, and that was something that impressed me a lot with myself, because I'd done a lot of job to get to that point.

Q. We're in Spain, I don't know if you have seen anything about Rafa Jodar. What do you think about his game?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: He's a great talent. I've been keeping an eye on him. He's got a different style than Carlos Alcaraz. He's slightly taller. He reminds me a bit of a hybrid between Zverev and Carlos, he's got a bit of both. He's got a good serve. He's got a bit more reach on the serve than Carlos because he looks a bit taller. I don't know if he's taller, I think he's taller.

It's going to be interesting for him in the future to, if he keeps on with the same attitude and doesn't lose his head along the way, he's going to have some big results.

Q. I don't know if you have seen that he's working only with his father, he's only in the box. What are the pros and cons of working with someone as close as your father?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I actually saw that and I loved it. Because it shows humility, very humble. I love it. Sometimes keeping it simple is the best way to proceed. I think he should keep it that way. If it works, it's great.

I'm not the type of player that supports too many members, too many team members in the box. It can get overwhelming sometimes. There's only a limited amount of people that are actually going to provide expertise and knowledge and something important when you're playing a match.

The job of the fitness coach is help keep you fit. The job of the physio is to help you recover better. But the most important job when you're on the court is obviously the coach. You got to figure it out together. I'm loving the synergy between father and son. I think it's really nice to see.

Q. Lately you didn't look happy on court. At any point did you lose love and passion for the game, or never to that extent?

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: When I was injured I lost passion and love for the game. I kept showing up though. Despite my injury in the back, I kept showing up on court and trying to make the most out of it.

It's frustrating when you're always injured and you're always feeling hurt. It doesn't make you love the game too much.

I can finally kind of say that, going back into the court now, it feels a really joyful thing to do. Like, there isn't much of stress whether I'm going to be fit enough because of my back.

Before it used to occupy my mind 24/7. From the moment I woke up until the very night, I wasn't sure if I'm going to wake up the next morning feeling good. Going with that sort of uncertainty onto everyday life, especially being professional tennis player, makes it even worse.